The treatment of burns of the first, second, and third degree, has long been, and remains, one of the most difficult medical problems. The criteria for success of any method for treating a burn include proper contraction of the wound, epithelialization, hair follicle preservation, and the assessment of newly formed granulation tissue.
Contraction represents the difference between the initial wound size of the burn and the size of the burn 12 days later (12th post burn day or PBD), which includes both opened and healed areas calculated as a percentage of the initial wound size.
Epithelialization represents the percentage of the newly covered areas of the burn surface on the 12th PBD out of the total wound area on that same day.
The presence of hair follicles indicates maintenance of dermal microcirculation and prevention of tissue ischemia and thus ischemic and postischemic damage. The preservation of hair follicles and their count should be carried out microscopically in tissue sections.
Also important in evaluation of a medicament for treating burns is the assessment of newly formed granulation tissue. The thickness of the new collagen layer synthesized in the healing burn should be measured on PBD 12.